


Dogs for Dummies

by ranchoff



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dialogue Heavy, Dragon Age Writing Group, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Intentionally Vague Setting, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Slice of Life, Will tag more characters as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-30 23:54:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15107408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranchoff/pseuds/ranchoff
Summary: Two lonely strangers, Alistair Theirin and Lariel Tabris, end up at the animal shelter in search of a friend. But when their paths cross, they both find what they're looking for in more ways than they ever expected.





	1. The Puppening

A small green Subaru rolled into the makeshift lot, bits of gravel crunching under the tires as it made its way forward. The car was clean, but rife with dents and dings and rusted, flaky paint that showed its age. The tiniest smile was etched on the driver’s face as she navigated into a parking spot under the shade of a tree, shielded from the unexpected heat of the early spring day. She turned off the engine and stepped out, grabbing her bag and the stack of documents from the passenger seat.

 Lariel Tabris made her way across the parking lot, wearing a breezy yellow sundress and a soft, well-worn denim jacket, her orange hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She held the pile of papers against her chest.  She glanced down, flipping through them one more time to ensure she had everything she might need according to her internet research. She reached the building and pushed the door open into the refreshingly cool room, a welcome change from her miserable air-conditioning-free car.

 “Hi there, welcome in,” the dwarf at the front desk called out, covering the mouthpiece on the phone held up to his ear. “I'll help you in a moment.”

 He returned to his phone call, and Lariel adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder while she paced the perimeter of the room. She skimmed the various informational posters that lined the walls: _Heartworm Disease - Know the Warning Signs_ and _10 Tips for Flea Prevention_ and one that just read _Adopt, Don’t Shop!_

 “Sorry about that,” the mustached dwarf said, setting the phone onto the receiver. “How can I help you?”

 “Um, well...I would like to adopt a dog.” She tried to mask the excitement in her voice when she answered. She had been researching this for weeks now, and fantasizing about it since she first moved out on her own. Now that she was living somewhere with a fenced yard, albeit a small one, and roommates who would tolerate a dog’s presence, it could finally become a reality. “I brought all the paperwork that your website said I should bring.”

 “Oh, well that's great,” the front desk man - Boermor, according to his nametag - said shortly. Lariel turned red. So much for not acting too eager. “I can take those from you later.  For now I’ll just need you to fill out this quick questionnaire so we can get an idea of who you are and find a dog that's compatible with your lifestyle.”

 Lariel filled the form out quickly and handed it back to Boermor, who looked it over and asked some clarifying questions, and within a few minutes they were inside the long corridor where chain-link fenced pens held barking dogs and skittish cats. Boermor let her walk along at her own pace, hanging a few feet back and only speaking up to give info when Lariel stopped to look closer at one of the dogs.

 She crouched to look at an adorable springy yellow thing who ran in excited circles as Lariel approached. Boermor explained that her name was Bella. A very sweet puppy, but a puppy nonetheless and probably not the best fit for Lariel’s lifestyle - better for a family with kids and a lot of time on their hands. With a sad pout of her lips, Lariel agreed and begrudgingly tore herself away from the energetic pup. The pattern repeated a few times, Lariel stopping to greet hounds that caught her eye and listening to the informational spiel from Boermor, making mental notes of which ones stood out to her. She wished she could bring home every single one. Her roommate would probably object to that, though. A few animals had already been spoken for, as indicated by big signs hanging from their kennels, so she carefully avoided even looking at them lest she get too attached.

 As they approached the end of the hallway, Lariel’s eyes fell onto a pen where a brown dog lay on the ground, chewing on a red rubber toy with zeal. The dog looked up when she stopped in front of him, and immediately abandoned his destruction of the slobbery toy to waddle over to the fence and grin at her. The sweetest, loveliest, widest grin that spread across his whole face and turned her heart to butter in an instant. “Hi, there!” she cooed in a voice an octave higher than usual. Before Boermor could say anything, Lariel glanced up at the information sheet hanging from the fence.

 A picture of him, big dopey smile and all, sat over the words:

 _Moose_  
_Staffordshire Bull Terrier_  
_Approx. 5-7 yrs old_  
_34 lbs.  
_ _House trained, not neutered_

“Oh, that's Moose,” came Boermor’s voice. “He's a good one. We think his last owners were backyard breeders, but he was abandoned so we don't know for sure what his story is. He's a good boy, though, as long as you don't mind him trying to lay right on top of you every time you sit down.”

No, she didn't mind that. She didn't mind that at all.

*~*~*

A few minutes later Lariel and Moose were outside in the shelter’s designated dog run where animals and their prospective people could take a walk together in private to see if they got along _._ Moose pulled on his leash so hard that she was barely able to hold him back. They’d have to work on that together. He sniffed at every rock and twig they walked past, picking sticks up and dropping them again a few moments later. _He likes to chew_ , Lariel noted. She’d have to be sure to buy a lot of tough toys for him. They arrived at a plastic kiddie pool full of water, with a bench just nearby, where Lariel let Moose off his leash and sat down to watch him.

He inspected the pool for a moment then timidly dipped his front paw in, but he flicked it back out with a look of panic and ran away from the offending liquid. A sympathetic chuckle bubbled out of her.

“Oh, poor thing! Are you scared of water?”

Moose answered by heading straight for the bench where she sat and jumped onto her, paws first, his enormous mouth lunging at her face to lick her ferociously. She laughed and gently pushed him down, if only so he didn't get mud _all_ over her.

“Moose, I love the kisses, but it's not nice to jump.” He cocked his head to the side, his ears flopping. He made like he was about to jump up onto her again, but when she gave a firm “no” he stopped and quirked his head again. Lariel felt briefly victorious, but a moment later he was on the bench with her and licking the side of her head. Even as she pushed him back and said “no”, she laughed, then sighed to herself as he relented and laid his head down on her lap.

“Moose, that's not good manners. We’ll have to work on that.” Moose licked her hand in response. She stroked the top of his head, taking care to rub just behind his ears, which elicited a deep, happy groan from the dog. He suddenly flopped over onto his back, looking up at her expectantly, and she obliged his silent request to scratch his tummy. That wide, silly smile spread over his face again, and with that she _knew._ This was _her_ dog. The sweet, precious look in his eyes cemented the fact that she just couldn't leave him here. Nope.

Lariel pulled out her phone and cooed Moose’s name a few times to get his attention, snapped a couple photos, then added them to a group text for Zevran and Leliana.  She tapped out a message under the photos: _“Meet our new roommate! His name is Moose! :)”_

*~*~*

While they put Moose back into his kennel, Boermor informed Lariel that she wouldn't be able to take him home today as he needed to be fixed before they could release him. He explained the full adoption process, telling her that they’d arrange an appointment to have him neutered, which the adoption fee would cover, and she could pick him up and take him home from there.

 They returned to the front office, where Lariel was handed a clipboard and a thick pile of forms to fill out, a task that took her no less than ten minutes. There were a few questions that appeared on multiple different forms, and one sheet seemed practically identical to the questionnaire she had filled out when she arrived. She finally handed the completed forms back, and Boermor began the process of typing everything Lariel had just written on the forms into a program on his computer. Lariel bit back an impatient sigh, irritated with the redundancy of this process.

 As Boermor tapped away slowly on the keyboard, the main door opened and a tall man with reddish blond hair walked inside.

 “I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” Boermor said, barely glancing up from his computer.

 “Not a problem,” he answered in a sing-songy voice. Lariel glanced around the room while she waited, thumbing absentmindedly at a pamphlet on the desk, titled _The Rabies Vaccine: What You Need to Know_. The man who had just walked in was walking about the room, pretending to read the many posters as she had done not long ago. Their eyes happened to meet as he turned around, and they shared a smirk at the loud, stilted clacking of Boermor’s typing that reverberated off the tile floor.

 “So….cat or dog?” he asked offhandedly.

 “Dog.”

 “Good choice. The cats in there looked a bit dodgy.”

 “Hah…maybe a little. Are you here to pick out a dog too, then?”

 “I did already actually, yesterday. Only I didn't realize there was so much documentation required, so...well, here I am a day later.”

 Lariel nodded politely, not saying anything, but thinking that he really should have done some research first. Adopting a dog was a _big_ decision; people who got one without thinking it through first were the reason so many were here in the first place!

 “Alright,” Boermor continued. “So, I’ll need to make a copy of your photo ID, and I see you marked down here that you are a renter, so I’ll need written proof from your landlord that they’ll allow you a dog.”

 “Sure, hang on....I have that here somewhere.” Lariel pulled out the bundle of paperwork she brought with her, which had since been folded up and stowed in her bag. She unfolded the stack and flipped through it in search of the paper she needed.

 “Wow, well _you_ came prepared, at least,” the man chimed in from a few feet away, a playful lilt to his voice. “I bet you chose the same dog as me, too, that'd be just my luck. You didn't by chance go for the spotty black and white one?”

 Lariel handed over her ID and the necessary document, which Boermor carried off into a back room to make photocopies. “No, I’m getting the brown staffy terrier, don't worry. We don't have to fight each other for dog custody or anything.”

 “Oh, good. Probably for the best, really, I forgot my dueling pistol at home today.”

 A soft laugh burst out of her and her nose crinkled up with amusement, but before she could reply Boermor returned to the desk and began to ask more questions. They finished the arduous process of filling out the application and contract, made an appointment with a nearby vet for Moose's impending neutering, and dealt with the payment of the adoption fee, which involved an old and _very_ slow pin pad.

 “You are all set, my friend,” Boermor said heavily, apparently exhausted from all the typing.  Then he handed Lariel a folder. “This has copies of everything you filled out today, information for you about the vet’s office that will be fixing your dog and their phone number.  There's some pamphlets in here about preparing your home for a new pet, this sheet has some websites you can look at, and oh, here's our info in case you have any questions.”

 “Thank you,” Lariel said, tentative, still not quite certain if the whole long process was over. When Boermor said nothing else, Lariel’s tone lightened with relief. “Thank you - _so_ much. I’m--I can’t wait to bring him home with me.”

 “Thank _you_. I'm sure he’s just as excited as you are,” said Boermor. Lariel thanked him again, then gathered up all her belongings and turned to leave. She glanced back at the man she had been talking to, who was now leaning against the wall and looking at his phone.

 “Um, good luck with everything,” she called back casually as she made her way toward the door. He looked up from his phone with a briefly confused furrow of his brow, but then his mouth curled into a smile.

 “Thanks,” he chuckled. “Nice talking to you.”

 “You too.” And with that, she pulled the door open and stepped out into the parking lot again. When she arrived back in her car, she opened up her phone and went to her calendar app, ignoring a text from Zevran, and entered in a reminder for the exact day and time that she could bring her new dog home. _Her dog_ , she told herself again with disbelieving thrill.

 Her cheeks warm, her heart fluttering, she started the car and cranked up the radio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, the joys of trying to modernize a fantasy universe! For this fic, I felt that the story and character interactions was more important than trying to make a lore-perfect modernization of Thedas. In truth, it's a sort of blend of our modern world and Thedas, but I've intentionally left the setting vague so as not to get distracted by those small details.
> 
> Thank you so much to the Dragon Age subreddit and everyone on it, thank you to redpandadragon and zinjadu for beta reading this chapter, with a particular shoutout to zinjadu for being the best sounding board ever in fleshing this story out. Thanks for letting me bounce every single idea off you and for all your detailed suggestions.


	2. A Ruff Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Lariel's got the adoption process taken care of, all she has to do is adjust to life as a new dog owner and teach Moose some basic manners. It can’t be *that* hard, right?

“Moose, _no_ ,” Lariel warned.  The dog ignored her in favor of pulling resolutely on his leash as they entered the apartment. She held on tight while she toed her shoes off. Moose whined and continued to pull on his leash hard enough to make himself wheeze as he tried desperately to make a break for Zevran lounging on the couch.

“Listen to that poor creature,” Zevran remarked with both pity and caution. He had been tackled by the hound only a day before, and was not eager to repeat that encounter. “He's practically strangling himself! Not a very bright one, this dog of yours.”

“You _are_ bright. Don’t listen to mean uncle Zev,” she cooed at Moose.

Zevran’s face wrinkled with unease. “You know, when you asked me about getting a dog, this is not quite what I had pictured.”

“What _did_ you picture?”

A thick strand of drool trickled out of Moose’s panting mouth. Zevran quirked an eyebrow in response.

“He's a smart boy,” Lariel insisted. “He just has...a _lot_ of love inside him and he doesn't know how to express it politely yet. We’re working on it. I've been taking him to the dog park every day after class.”

“I see. Call me cynical if you like, but is that really going to help matters?”

“I hope so. It at least lets him burn off some energy. And I think watching how the other dogs play will help him learn better manners.”

Zevran huffed skeptically and grabbed his game controller from the coffee table as she passed through the living room.

“Why couldn't you have been a _cat_ person?” he groused.   She snickered, but kept Moose on his leash,  lest he decide to pounce on Zev and smother him with sloppy kisses. She walked by Zevran’s “room”, a corner section of the living room divided off by patterned sheets and tapestries hung from the ceiling, and continued past the bathroom and Leliana’s room before reaching her own bedroom at the end of the hallway.

Shutting the door behind her, Lariel unhooked the leash from Moose’s collar. He wasted no time climbing onto the bed, swinging his entire back end from side to side instead of actually wagging his tail. Despite there being several hours of daylight left, her bedroom was already rather dim thanks to the tall thicket of trees outside her window. They always blotted out the sun during the afternoon. She hung her bag on the corner of her desk, while her other hand grasped for the light switch. She found it with a _click_ and illuminated the room: small, comfy, and mostly tidy except for a few stray clothes scattered around and a collection of dog toys littering the floor. She picked up her laptop and spiral notebook from the desk, then flung herself down onto the bed. It bounced under her slight weight as she slipped out of her denim jacket and settled into her cozy nest of mismatched bedding and pillows.

After untangling the mess of charger cords and plugging it into the nearest outlet, she opened her laptop and pressed the power button. The cheap old machine whirred as it forced itself to life, a process that she knew to take some time, so she set it aside while she waited. A muffled chime buzzed from her jacket pocket, which had fallen to the floor. She dangled herself over the side of the bed to reach for it, fishing around in the pockets until she at last found the chirping device.

> **Shianni:** you get a dog(!) and don’t even tell your own cousin?? I shouldn’t have to find out everything on instagram   
>  **Lariel:** lol, I’m sorry, didn’t realize it was such a big deal.  
>  **Shianni:** I demand puppy pictures as your penance.  
>  and it had better not be the same one you already posted

Lariel looked down at the mound of fur and drool cuddled up next to her, his head smushed against the side of her leg in a way that couldn’t possibly have been comfortable. She snapped a couple pictures of him in this position, then got his attention with a low growl of his name and took another blurry shot as he sat up.

> **Shianni:** why is he laying like that  
>  **Lariel:** I ask myself that so often.  
>  **Shianni:** I can’t even see him in that last picture! these are not acceptable apology photos  
>  **Lariel:** It’s the best I can do right now.  He’s handsome but not very photogenic.

Lariel set her phone down and picked up her laptop, navigating to her community college student login page, then into her course sites, and clicked on the one with the most imminently due homework, BIO 273 - _Environmental Toxicology._ She pulled open the assigned reading for the week: a long, tedious study on risk assessment relating to cyanotoxins. She took notes as she read, balancing the notebook on her lap while she scrolled slowly through the dense PDF. After a short time, though, Moose decided that he had gone far too long without any attention, and remedied the situation by resting his head directly on top of the page where she was writing.

“Oh, Moose,” she sighed. He looked up at her with his innocent, charming grin when her phone buzzed again.

> **Shianni:** skype?  
>  **Lariel:** Aghh, not tonight, sorry :\ I’ve got a lot of homework to finish.

She put her phone away and returned to her note-taking, forcing back the pang of guilt for rejecting Shianni’s request, but she really _didn’t_ have the time tonight. And besides that, as much as she loved her baby cousin, calls back home tended to turn into well-meaning interrogations about every tiny detail of her life. Maybe that was her own fault for keeping to herself, but, well, she didn’t know why it mattered so much. Not much point in talking about herself unless she had something important to say, and she rarely did.

Moose moaned sleepily and nudged her hand with his nose, whimpering. He had now gone several entire minutes without snuggles of any sort, and this was clearly unacceptable.

“Poor boy, so neglected,” Lariel teased. She scratched just behind his ears, his very favorite place to be scratched, as demonstrated by the deep, contented groans he produced. Manners or no manners, she wouldn’t change one thing about this big, goofy boy with more love in his heart than he even knew what to do with.

Resisting the urge to simply curl up next to him and go to sleep for the night, she reluctantly resumed her thrilling education on the potential dangers of cyanobacteria.

*~*~*

Holding onto Moose’s leash was a full-body workout even when he was on his best behavior, but whenever he caught sight or smell of something exciting it became a monumental task. Moose already knew the path to the dog park by heart after only a few visits, and once he and Lariel were within several blocks of the place he tugged on his leash so hard that she was lucky to even stay upright. She called out his name sternly a few times, but she may as well have been completely limp and dragging along on the ground behind him for all that it slowed him down. He seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that he was, yet again, choking himself on his own weight.

He needed a harness, Lariel realized in the midst of her concerted effort to stay on her feet.

They finally reached the main gate just as a couple with their golden retriever were exiting, so she stood aside to let them pass. The mass of energy at her feet, however, decided that now was the perfect moment to sprint into the crowded park. With an unexpected jerk, he pulled the leash out of Lariel’s hand, ran straight through the couple’s legs, knocking one of them over, and made his way at full speed into the park.

“Moose!” Lariel shouted in the most commanding voice she could muster. She hesitated between helping the woman on the ground and chasing after Moose, who was now dashing recklessly around the park. “I - are you okay? I am _so_ sorry!”

“I'm fine,” the woman said acridly as she stood up.

“I - I’m sorry again!” Lariel rattled off hurriedly before running off after her dog, hollering his name. His leash flapped behind him, whipping every dog and person he went past. He peeled around blindly, ramming into people’s legs and continuing on as if nothing had happened. She shouted his name repeatedly, her face burning with humiliation, but he simply wagged his tail, apparently believing this all to be a great big game.

Lariel paused for a moment get her breath back and _think_.  She had to be smarter than a dog.  Maybe. Tracking the line he ran, she could try to get him to run himself into a corner so she could get close enough to grab hold of his leash.  Determined, she jogged parallel to Moose, keeping him between her and the outside fence. With her eyes fixed on him in case he made a last minute juke, she thought she might just be able to reach--

The sudden impact into a very solid _something_ jarred her head, sending a sudden shock through her ear and making her jaw clench sharply on reflex. Then she heard a low grunt, and she realized she’d run into some _one_ , not some thing. With a sickening lurch, she reeled backwards, trying to shuffle away as embarrassment heated her face.  

“Maker! Are you okay?” the someone exclaimed, his voice rising with concern.  Cringing, Lariel ducked her head, and wished she could find a way to escape. Maybe she could suddenly develop magical powers and disappear.  That would be great.

“Yeah,” she breathed. Or maybe the earth could open up and swallow her.  That would be an acceptable out. “I’m - oh, I am _so sorry_ \- I was looking the other way, I - my _dog_ was,” she trailed off. Her dog was going to get a very stern talking to later.  As soon as she could catch him.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked sincerely, but not without a hint of amusement. The heat of her cheeks had spread all the way up to her ears.

Something about his genial, bouncing voice had nudged her brain, though. Curious, she glanced up at the towering stranger, the poor victim of her headlong chase after a very bad dog, and she caught sight of oddly familiar amber eyes framed by tan, freckled skin. He regarded her in return, one eyebrow raised thoughtfully.

“Wait,” he said cautiously, drawing out the word. “I think--I know you from somewhere, don't I?”

“I think.  Yeah, I think so,” Lariel said. They pondered in silence for a few seconds, and just as it clicked into place in her own mind, realization dawned on his face.

“Oh! The shelter, right? You were the one with all the papers shoved in your purse, and I was the one who made myself look like an idiot.”

“That was me,” she mumbled, tucking a now-loose strand of hair behind her pointed ear. “Seems like it worked out for you anyway, though.”

“Seems that way,” he drawled. “My little maniac is around here somewhere. She moves so fast I can hardly even see her most of the time.”

Lariel smiled sympathetically, and she was about to ask him what sort of dog he got, but a panicked jolt struck her as she remembered what she was up to before their collision.

“Oh! Moose, he’s - ugh, I need to catch my dog,” she blurted out.

“Alright, which one is he? I'm on it, let's do this.”

“He's the,” she started to describe him as she turned her head to scan the park, but she trailed off because chasing him was suddenly no longer necessary. She spotted Moose headed happily straight toward her, now that he had retrieved a stick - no, a _branch_ , that was the only word for it - to bring to her. She shook her head in amused exasperation. “He's _that_ one.”

Moose trotted over as if carrying a five-foot-long branch in his mouth was the most normal thing in the world, drool slopping out of his mouth. He finally arrived at Lariel’s feet and set the gift on the ground, a look of utmost pride shining on his face. She took hold of his collar before he could dash off without warning again.

“Moose,” she said in the firmest voice she could manage, fighting back an involuntary chuckle. She cleared her throat. “Moose, that was very bad. _Bad_ dog.”

His grin melted off as he whined and cocked his head to the side so innocently that she was tempted to retract what she said immediately, but no. No. He _had_ been a bad dog. He knew better than to rip his leash out of her hand and run off and knock people over.

Well, no, he didn't. But he _should_ know better and this was how he’d learn.

“Don't give me that look,” she said. “You have to listen when I call you.”

He whimpered and gave such a pathetic twist of his head that she _almost_ believed it was on purpose, though she knew he truly was just that much of a baby.

“Ohhh, look at his face!” her new unexpected companion interjected. “You're so cruel, you know. Chiding him like this, after he brought you a branch and everything.”

“I know. I'm a monster.”  She stood up, Moose’s leash firmly in hand. She considered whether or not to stay for a while longer or just go home, but her thoughts were interrupted by a springing black-and-white dog who appeared seemingly from nowhere and jumped up on her, front paws planted firmly on her chest. Lariel stumbled back against the weight.

“Comet! Down! We _don't_ jump on people!” dog park man scolded and rushed to pull his energetic furball off her. “Maker, now _I’m_ the one that's sorry.”

“It's okay,” she laughed. He knelt down to put his arm around the dog, who was now panting frantically at all this excitement, and rubbed her head playfully.

“Well, now that she's tackled you - this is Comet,” he explained while Lariel petted her. “I swear she's friendly, she’s just, well, _too_ friendly. I've been trying to teach her not to jump on people but she can’t help herself, I suppose.”

“That sounds familiar.”

Moose waddled over to Comet, sniffing at her for a moment before bestowing a sloppy kiss directly on her snout. Comet stood up and wagged her tail excitedly, her ears raising up into the air.

“This is Moose,” said Lariel, “though I’m pretty sure you heard me shout that a few times already.”

“Hi, Moose,” he said in a low, silly voice, giving him an affectionate pat. “You're a good boy, aren't you?”  Moose greatly approved of this, shoving his whole body against this new person.

“I think they like each other,” he said. “Kind of a miracle, really, Comet usually annoys all the other dogs as soon as they meet her.”

“Moose isn’t capable of being annoyed. He loves anyone who pays attention to him.”

“Maybe we should let them play for a bit, burn off some energy?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” she said after a moment of consideration. She unclipped Moose’s leash, and Comet immediately seized the opportunity to pounce on him.  Moose turned his blocky head, mouth held wide and batted at Comet’s snout. Lariel had a panicked moment of wondering if Moose was about to _bite_ Comet, but the larger dog leapt back and spread her forelegs on the ground and waved her tail in the air.  Moose did a happy spin, and the two of them panted at each other, then, as if by mutual agreement, they took off at a dead run.

“So, I’m Alistair, by the way,” dog park man said after a minute or so of watching them dart around together.

“Lariel,” she replied. “And, um, sorry again for crashing into you.”

“Oh, it’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me today. No need to apologize, really.”

The pair watched Moose and Comet a short distance off, Comet sprinting repeatedly around Moose so fast that she resembled a blur more than a dog. Moose flopped down on the grass contentedly, then flipped onto his back and rubbed himself against the grass, his tongue lazily hanging out of his mouth. Comet, unbothered by her playmate’s lack of interest, continued to run in circles around him.

“Did you pick out the name Comet?” Lariel asked as she sat on a nearby bench.

“No,” Alistair answered, following to sit down next to her. “She came with that one when I got her. I figured I may as well stick to whatever she knows already, she’s enough of a handful as it is.”

“It’s a good name. It suits her.”

“That it does,” Alistair chuckled.

“What kind of dog is she, anyway? She’s pretty.”

“I don’t know, actually. She’s just a mutt, I suppose. The bloke at the shelter said she’s probably a mix of collie and lab or something like that. That’s as good a guess as I could ever make.” He shrugged. Comet was now nudging Moose with her nose and dashing about in front of him, then nudging him again, egging him on to chase her as best she could. It was not working, but it didn’t stop her from trying. “What about ‘Moose’, was that name your doing?”

“No. Not that it matters, though. He doesn’t respond to it.” Her heavy voice betrayed her lingering frustration at his earlier stunt.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is, trust me.”

“Moose!” he bellowed, cupping his hands. “Moose! C’mere, Moose!”

The brown staffy sat up from his lounging position, beamed at Lariel and Alistair, then flopped back onto the ground.

“Mmm. Maybe he could use a tad more training on that,” Alistair remarked.

“I told you! He’s -” she huffed, “- a good boy but he does _not_ know how to listen.”

“Well, at least he’s got an off switch, right? I still haven’t found Comet’s _._ ”

Comet, as if sensing that she was being spoken of, abandoned her attempts to make Moose chase her and ran back to Alistair, hurtling onto his lap with enthusiasm.

“Alright, alright, girl! Come on.” He stood up and went over to where he had left a plastic ball-chucking toy lying on the ground nearby and picked it up.  Flinging it forward, he launched a tennis ball into the air in a high arc. Comet dashed after the ball so quickly that Lariel could have sworn she left a cartoon dust trail in her wake. She brought it back to Alistair, who loaded it into the toy and flung it a few times more. After a minute or so, Moose came over to join the action, trudging along lazily behind Comet.

“Moose, you funny boy, you,” Lariel cooed at him. He looked back, panting heavily now, then waddled over to sit by her feet, pressing his head against her legs. “Oh, I know. You poor boy. You’ve had such a long day.”

“You might have to carry him home at this rate,” Alistair remarked, walking back toward them, Comet scurrying close behind. He squatted down next to Moose and patted him affectionately.

Lariel looked up just as Alistair did, and he smirked when their eyes met. She returned the smile with a slight tightness in her chest - she somehow hadn’t noticed until now, up close, just how striking his eyes were.

“I should get going,” she said after a beat. “Moose _is_ pretty worn out.” Comet, seemingly aware of her new friend’s imminent departure, bounced up one last time to shove her front legs onto Lariel’s lap.

“Comet, down,” chided Alistair.

“It’s alright,” Lariel said. “Bye, Comet. It was very good to meet you. Thank you for playing with Moose so nicely.”

Comet wagged her tail proudly.

“Well, maybe I’ll, uh, see you around here again sometime,” Alistair said, voice rising a little as he spoke.  Lariel clipped Moose’s leash back on and stood up, trying to figure out if that was a comment or a question.

“You probably will, I’m here all the time. _We’re_ here all the time,” she corrected herself, gesturing down at Moose. “I’ll try not run into you next time, though.”

“Ah, really, hardly felt it, don’t worry. I always thought normal greetings were boring, anyway. Maybe we could make a new tradition of it, just whack into each other instead of shaking hands. It could catch on.”

She giggled quietly, her nose crinkling as it always did when she laughed. The corners of his mouth curled up and her face felt warm again, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to embarrassment this time. This felt different, somehow.

“So, ah, Alistair, see you again sometime, maybe.”

“Bye then, Lariel.”

She turned and made her way home in the late afternoon sun, a tiny smile writ on her face. Moose, now exhausted from his wild day, no longer pulled on his leash. She looked down at him lovingly, the final remnants of her frustration rapidly fading away. He hadn’t known any better, he was only being a dog.

Besides, it hadn’t turned out to be such a terrible day, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you *so* much to zinjadu and criticallyyours for their help with this chapter :D


	3. Dog Day Afternoons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lariel Tabris goes about life as usual - classes, work, taking care of her dog. But amidst all that, she keeps running into someone familiar, and finds that talking to him is actually....easy? Could she perhaps be -gasp- making a friend?

Lariel’s resource management professor droned on in a flat monotone, reciting his slides verbatim as he clicked through.  Worse, the slides were just key points from the textbook reading for today, which she had already read. She worked hard to pay for these classes, she wasn’t going to waste her own time. The professor did that handily on his own.  Glancing at the clock above the door, she had to fight down a sigh of despair as she saw the minute hand had only barely inched forward since she had last looked up from her scrawling notes.

Mandatory attendance was always an annoyance, but in this class it was downright infuriating.  What was the purpose of even being here? It was an easy way to get full marks, sure, but there were other places she could be, other things she could be doing.

Her eyes wandered to the row of windows overlooking the sidewalk, her concentration fizzling from the faint nudge of hunger in her belly. Muffled chatter built up gradually through the glass as people poured out of the building and milled around the corridor. Letting her eyes relax into the distance did nothing to blunt the fluorescent overhead lights drumming at her vision, the beginnings of a headache forming behind her forehead. She tapped her pen against her notebook with agitation. Today was definitely an elfroot sort of day, as soon as she got home. She was pretty certain there was one roll left, just waiting for her in that little tin in her nightstand drawer.

“Well, looks like that’s all for today,” the lecturer announced suddenly, dragging Lariel out of her meandering train of thought. “See you next week, don’t forget to do the online quiz this weekend.”

Her classmates rose from their seats and within seconds the low buzz of several simultaneous idle conversations filled the room. Many of her classmates bunched into pairs and small groups as they shuffled out of the room, discussing weekend plans and laughing over inside jokes. Those who hadn't immediately grouped up with friends pulled out their phones, typing on their way to the door. Lariel pulled her own phone from her pocket, hoping to see something there waiting for her.  Instead there was only the notification for an automated email from her work announcing that the newest shift schedule was posted.

Picking up her bag from the floor, the silence of now-empty room stretched out.  However, she paid no mind to that when she swiped away the email notification to reveal her phone's wallpaper : a blurry photo of Moose sprawled out on her bed, his tongue flopping out the side of his beaming mouth. Her weird, silly, good - mostly good, loyal, loveable boy.  _ Her  _ boy.

 

*~*~*

 

Though he still pulled on his leash as forcefully as ever, Moose did not repeat his escapade from a few days before. Perhaps he was simply too tired for a second attempt at a one dog wrecking crew. Lariel silently thanked the Maker as they entered the park’s gates and made it all the way to an empty bench without incident. She sat down and held tight to his leash, finding it easier to anchor her weight against his by sitting, rather than to stand and struggle to stay upright. The harness she had just bought him had proved completely useless in stopping him from pulling or strangling himself. The only function it seemed to serve was making leash-up time unnecessarily complicated.  

“Okay now, Moose,” she said in a low grumble, subconsciously tipping her chin down as if it would make her voice deeper and more authoritative. “You're going to be a good boy today, right? No knocking people over?”

Moose gave no indication that he understood what she was saying, blinking cluelessly in the afternoon sun. She supposed that was as good a response as she’d ever get. She unbuckled his harness and leash, and attentively watched him run off into the meadow.

He didn't seem inclined to knock people over today.  However, he  _ was  _ very much in other dogs faces and she sat up with tension in her shoulders, ready to intervene i if something were to go wrong. Thankfully, the other dogs mostly ignored him and continued their play. His legs were stocky and he struggled to keep up with most of them. Her heart ached a little at that, but she knew she couldn’t help him. She couldn't even make friends for herself, let alone on Moose’s behalf.

Dogs raced about in groups of two and three, play-fighting and chasing each other. Moose waddled along near them, never quite managing to nudge his way into a pack. Lariel couldn't decide if it was hilarious or heartbreaking to witness. Perhaps a little of both.

While the flurry of fur and wagging tails rushed around the grass, several people called out to their dogs and, to Lariel’s amazement, they ran back to their people right away. Some of them only needed to be called  _ once _ ! How did they manage that? Was  _ she _ the problem, or Moose? She shouted his name as a test, but the result was as predictable as ever - he glanced at her to acknowledge he heard his name, then happily ignored her.

Before she could get too frustrated familiar black-and-white blur appeared seemingly from thin air, dashing in circles around him.

“Comet!” she hollered. The dog stood at attention, ears raised high in search of this new voice calling her name. Lariel’s eyes drifted up to find Comet’s person following a short distance behind her.

Alistair noticed Lariel before his dog did, grinning at her and throwing his arm up in a big, friendly wave. Lariel returned a much smaller version of the gesture. He strode toward her, Comet tagging along at his feet, barking excitedly. Moose shuffled behind Comet, evidently content to follow wherever his new best friend went.

“She just saved the day,” Lariel remarked with a cheerful lilt once he was within earshot. “Poor Moose was looking so lonely out there.”

“You hear that, Comet? Your obnoxiousness came in handy today!” He glanced down to the spotty creature at his heels.

“She’s not obnoxious,” she cooed at her current hero and tried to stand.  Comet, excited at the warm reception, jumped up onto her, front legs outstretched and barking like mad, knocking Lariel back a half-step.  Lariel pushed her down, but she bounded right back up each time like a spring.

“Comet - stop, down, bad girl!” Alistair chided with an exasperated grunt, stepping over to help keep her down on the ground. “Why are you like this?”

She panted, ears held high and proud, wagging her tail innocently. Alistair gave a short, mirthy huff and patted her affectionately on the side. Moose shoved his way over to demand some pets, too, which prompted Comet to leap between them and after a blur of movement the two of them were engaged in an intense play fight, mouthing harmlessly at each other with deep, exaggerated grunts.

“What is that?” Alistair suddenly exclaimed, with a blend of incredulity and amusement. Lariel followed his line of sight to the torn, slobbery, half-destroyed harness lying in a heap by her feet. Though it hardly resembled one anymore, so she couldn't fault him his confusion.

“Oh, that. It’s a harness. It was supposed to stop Moose from pulling so hard on his leash and choking him, but it didn't do anything. Complete waste of money.”

“Not a  _ complete _ waste, he apparently got great use out of it as a chew toy.”

“He uses everything as a chew toy if you leave it in his reach,” Lariel groaned in exasperation. She loved that dog dearly, but his talent for destroying anything he could get his mouth on? Not so much.

Alistair laughed sympathetically. “Comet isn't that bad about chewing things usually, but all bets are off I'm gone for too long during the day. Then she goes mental and tears my entire flat apart. They’ve been keeping me late at work all the time lately, and I swear, I can actually _feel_ myself sprouting grey hair because of it. I always know it means I’ll come home to a wrecked flat and a crazy dog. As if I needed more reasons to dread going to work.”

“What is this dreadful job of yours?”

“Ah, you don't want to hear about my job, it's boring really.”

“Oh,” Lariel said, and a silence fell over them. “Well, I have a boring job too, we can commiserate,” she said after a beat, and Alistair gave an amused snort.  Then he tilted his head, his mouth pursed in thought.

“I am a security officer at the uh, mall,” he said, haltingly, his tone of voice tilting up and down as if he wasn’t sure whether to deliver his response straightforward or as a joke.

“That's not so boring,” Lariel said delicately.

“It really is, believe me. Most days I just sit in the office and man the lost-and-found window, which means I basically get to guard a few big boxes of garbage and misplaced cell phones. Although, sometimes I get to shoo away teenagers loitering where they shouldn’t be, that’s always a thrill. It's very dignified work,” he finished dryly.

“Hey, shooing teenagers away is nothing to scoff at, I couldn’t do that job.”

“Well, what can I say?” he exaggerated his speech, drawing himself up with performative swagger. “Someone’s got to do the tough jobs, and I’m a professional, me.”

“A professional shooer,” Lariel added quietly.

“That’s right,” he said, though his theatrical facade fell away as he chuckled to himself. “That’s good, maybe I’ll start using that to introduce myself. Much better than ‘mall cop.’”

Lariel snickered quietly, her nose wrinkling, though she hadn't any idea what to say now.

“Alright,” he droned, verbally nudging her, “so what's this boring job of  _ yours _ , then?”

“Um, I work at this place, Copper Saver? It’s a secondhand store,” she answered after a pause, not bothering to try to dress up her job title. She knew there was no less embarrassing way to say it, better to just get it out there.

“Oh, well, I’m sure you find interesting things working there, sometimes! People must bring in loads of weird old knick-knacks.”

“Sometimes,” she admitted, one corner of her lip curling up just slightly. He was obviously pushing her to share something, but what was she even supposed to say?  _ She  _ thought a lot of the strange junk that came through was fascinating, sure, but she hadn't the foggiest what someone else would be interested in hearing about.

“Oh, come on,” he insisted in a playful tone, his crooked smile spreading across his face. “I bet you’ve found loads of odd stuff. Even  _ I _ find some interesting things at my job, sometimes. It’s amazing the things that people leave lying around.”

“Um, hmm.” She hesitated, her mind stirring in search of some interesting find to recount. Being put on the spot didn't exactly help. Okay, what about something weird. Everyone liked to laugh about weird stuff, right? “Well... I see tons of strange t-shirts, and uh, hmm. There's this freaky lamp, it's made out of an old porcelain baby doll with these big bulgy eyes.” - she briefly held her fingers up in circles around her eyes to demonstrate - “It's been there for ages.”

“Creeeepy,” Alistair grimaced. “I can't imagine why no one’s bought it yet.”

“I know. My boss won't let us get rid of it, either.”

“Maker, I think I’d have nightmares looking at that every day. Is everything at your work so scary?”

“Not  _ everything,  _ I see some cool things too.”

“Such as....? If it’s anything else to do with haunted dolls, I'm walking away right now.”

“Um, let's see. Oh, yesterday, someone brought in some vintage action figures.”

Alistair stood up a bit straighter at that, one eyebrow raising with piqued interest. “Really? Were they in the box still? Mint condition?”

“Not in the box, no, but they were in great shape. It looked like they had been sitting in an attic or something, untouched for years.”

“Wow. I might just have to go to your work and track those down. What was it called again?”

Comet began to bark, which snagged their collective attention. Her playmate had been distracted by a thick, stubby twig he had found somewhere and was now chewing on it absentmindedly. This clearly would not do, so Comet continued to woof, repeatedly jumping onto Moose and then leaping away, insisting that he keep chasing and playing with her.

“Agh, Comet,” Alistair grunted with a loving sort of frustration that was all too familiar to Lariel now. “Knock that off, you crazy girl. Here.” He lifted the ball-tossing toy he had been holding idly in his right hand, flinging it forward. The ball, and Comet, flew off to the far side of the park.

Watching him, it dawned on Lariel that talking to him was so much easier than it was with other people. Normally, she’d fizzle out whenever it was her turn to speak, perpetually unsure of what to say, but he prodded the conversation along so nicely. It was strangely comfortable.

She didn't want this conversation to fizzle out, though she had talked about herself enough for one day. She could be brave and ask him a question now, right? That seemed the polite thing to do.

“So, um, what about your job, then? I'm sure you've got fun stories.”

“Ooh,  _ my  _ job? Hm, alright,” he pondered. “Um, there’s a prosthetic leg that’s been sitting in the back office for months now.”

“A - prosthetic  _ leg _ ?”

“Yep,” Alistair said shortly. “Someone found it in a bathroom stall, and no one’s come in to claim it, so there it sits. You’d think its owner would have missed it by now.”

“You’d think so,” she chortled.

“I’ve also lost count of how many public urinators I’ve stumbled on. It’s a bit disturbing, honestly,” he said. “There’s this big potted plant by the north set of escalators they all seem drawn to. Poor plant.”

“At least it’s being watered regularly,” she remarked softly.

“Ha! True. Though one time I did find a guy peeing on the wall  _ right  _ outside the bathroom. I think he miiiight have been drunk,” he touched his chin and screwed up his face with mock concentration.

As Alistair spoke, Moose meandered over to the two of them, panting like he’d just sprinted five miles, and plopped down by her feet, his signal that he was tired and ready to go home. Lariel checked the time on her phone and realized that not only was it just about time to get him home for dinner, but also that this was the longest she had talked with someone new in ages.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Alistair, frowning. “But I think the oaf here needs to get home.”

“You might be right on that.”

Moose had flipped over onto his back now, whining and rubbing his wet nose up against Lariel’s legs.

She got him into his useless harness. Alistair had elected to stay a while longer, as Comet clearly still had a bundle of energy to work off, evidenced by her excited barks and the wildly spinning circles she performed in front of them. Moose, for all the fun he had had with his new best friend, was ready to get home and eat, so he pulled forward as soon as his leash was attached.

“So - I’ll see you around again?” Alistair asked as Lariel stood up and readjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I mean, I don’t think any of the dogs here but Moose can put up with Comet, she’ll be just devastated if he disappears on her.”

“He won’t, we’re here all the time.”

“Oh, well, good. That’s good. See the two of you soon, then,” he said, squatting down to give Moose a goodbye pat.

“Yeah,” she nodded, doing her best to sound casual, tucking her hair back behind her ear, “we’ll see you.”

Lariel departed for home with the most cautious hope held to her heart that maybe,  _ maybe  _ she had actually made a friend. For her and Moose both.

  
  


*~*~*

 

Lariel rearranged the display, giving thoughtful care to the placement of each item in consideration of the rapidly shrinking shelf space. The plastic crate at her feet brimmed with new merchandise that she had to find room for amidst the mass of other decorative trinkets collecting dust. Even with her keen eye for spotting hidden treasures, she had to admit that most of it was junk, though some at least was intriguing junk. She was always fascinated by the abundance of homemade crafts that could only be described as inexplicable, like the toy bird made of toothbrushes and sequins glued haphazardly together which she now scooted aside to make way for a papier-mâché warrior mask from the pile of new arrivals.

In theory, the store’s policy was that merchandise would be culled weekly on a rotating basis; but in practice, the store manager never allotted any specific time for the employees to do that, so instead the piles would grow until they reached critical mass and he would do a quick sweep through, arbitrarily tossing items into the trash bin until there was just enough shelf space for all the new junk. This system also meant that old things often remained in stock indefinitely. Like the creepy lamp that still sat there a few feet to her left, gazing at her with its dead, bulbous doll eyes.

Lariel had no shortage of ideas for improving the system; if they just would implement a color-coded tagging system like she knew other second-hand stores did, cycling out the oldest stuff would be so easy and take no time at all. And if the shelves weren’t so crowded, customers would actually be able to find things they wanted, meaning more money for the store and even less pressure to purge the old stock because customers would do that  _ for  _ them by buying it up. Making the store run better could be  _ so  _ simple, how did her boss not see that?

But it was his store, and she wasn't going to try to tell someone how to run their own business.

She lifted up a misplaced shirt someone had thrown into the shelf, and found that the set of action figures she had told Alistair about the other day were still there, still mostly untouched from how she had arranged them. She knew nothing about them except that they were old and in good condition, but maybe he’d know more if he took a look at them. He had seemed interested - it wouldn't be that weird to take a photo for him, right? She’d probably run into him again soon. Maybe even tonight.

Couldn't hurt.

With a furtive glance around her to make sure that no one who’d care was watching, she whipped her phone from her back pocket and snapped a couple quick photos of the dense plastic figurines, lifting one up to capture the dated seal on the bottom. She nudged them further back on the shelf, hidden from immediate view, and covered them back up with that misplaced shirt. Just in case.

As she stowed her phone back in her pocket, she chanced a glimpse at the screen to check the time. 6:23. In theory, she'd be done with her shift in seven minutes; but in practice, no one could leave until all the closing tasks had been finished, which included her stocking duties. If she didn't hurry, poor Moose would be waiting forever for his dinner and evening walk. If she got home too late they might even have to skip the trip to the park entirely.

A sense of urgency kicking in, Lariel set to work stocking as fast as she could, with a sudden complete apathy for whether the messy display looked any good or not.

 

*~*~*

 

“Lariel!” a familiar voice called out from behind her as she approached the entrance of the park, and she couldn't deny that she was happy to hear it. Comet and Alistair hadn't been there the other day after her late arrival home from work, and it had been lonely. For Moose. He still hadn't managed to make any dog friends other than Comet.

“Alistair!” she replied heartily, then huffed, bracing against Moose’s weight, struggling to turn her head toward his voice. Gravel crunched underfoot as he approached her, Comet leading the way. Lariel had never seen her on a leash; it was almost unsettling to see her as a real dog and not a dog-shaped blur.

“Aha, it  _ is  _ you. I knew it. I’d recognize the back of your head anywhere.”

“Ha, sure.”

“I would!” he said as he caught up and fell in step with her. “You’re - you know, easy to notice,” he shrugged.

Lariel's cheeks flushed, but she forced her face to remain neutral except the tiniest twinge of a smile she couldn’t repress. Her heart fluttered a bit, but she tried to quell that feeling. To her knowledge she was the only red-headed elf here with a big staffy dog in tow. That was probably all he meant.

"So," he drawled casually, absentmindedly scratching his head with his free hand, "haven't seen you here in a few days. Thought maybe the haunted lamp at your job had finally gotten you."

“Not yet, but - oh! That reminds me!” She shifted Moose’s leash into her left hand, and pulled her phone from the pocket of her cotton sundress. She opened the camera roll and flicked through until she found the pictures of those action figures, then passed the phone over to Alistair. “Here, look. There’s a few pictures there, you can scroll through.”

“Hmm,” he said, eyes narrowing as he stared down at it for a few moments, his thumb swiping over the screen. “Oh - wow! Lariel, these are amazing!”

“Do you know what they are?”

“Yeah, they’re based on this old cheesy comic,  _ Reaver of Rivain _ , it wasn’t very popular back in its day, but then the internet rediscovered it and it got this massive cult following. They barely even made any of these action figures, I think maybe 100 sets total? I can’t believe someone gave these away! I - you should buy those if they’re still there, you could sell them online for loads of money.”

“Wow, I had no idea. Maybe I will,” she shrugged as he handed the phone back to her. “So, um, what have you been up to lately?”   


“Oh, the usual. Reuniting people with their lost sunglasses, shooing teenagers, asking mall patrons to please not pee in the shrubberies. You?”

“I’ve been a little busy this week, actually. I’ve had a few closing shifts at work, which always drag on way longer than they should, and finishing up this big research paper that’s due on Monday.”

“Wow, and you’re  _ already  _ finishing it? Color me impressed.”

Her lips pressed together, her eyes darting sideways in thought. Was he being sarcastic? Had it sounded like she was trying to brag or something? She just preferred to get her homework out of the way early to make time for more fun things she couldn’t focus on with impending due dates hanging over her. Or maybe it hadn’t sounded like she was bragging, maybe she came across as a dork. Or...maybe he was being sincere?

She skirted around the need to respond by kneeling down to free Moose from his leash. Alistair followed suit for Comet, though he stopped when she began to bark in a frenzy.

“Comet, stop - I - come on, stop. Stop it,” he scolded in vain. The more he told her to stop, the more she barked. “I - eugh. She’s started barking at  _ everything  _ lately! She barks when she’s excited, she barks when she wants to play, she barks when she sees a squirrel, she barks when I’m gone too long.  My upstairs neighbors have left me some less than friendly notes about it.”

“Hmm. I wonder if it’s a breed thing. Moose hardly barks at all, he mostly, um, groans.”

“Maybe. Or maybe Comet’s just a maniac.”

He shook his head with a tired sigh of resignation as he undid her leash, and she wasted no time in sprinting off to the other side of the park. Moose trudged behind her, with equal enthusiasm despite his unequal speed.

“So, um,” Alistair began haltingly as they stood up again, “what sort of research paper are you working on?”

“Nothing exciting,” she answered, suddenly very interested in staring at her own hands, fidgeting with her fingers. “It’s, well, it’s a combination research and persuasive paper for my class on water systems. We have to weigh the pros and cons of different sustainable water solutions, then make an argument for one over the others.”

“Annnd which one are you arguing for?”

“Well, that’s the part I’m struggling with. Desalination sounds like a great solution in theory, but desalination plants create so many long term environmental problems. I’m in favor of recycling greywater, but that can only produce non-potable water so it can’t be relied on by itself. And-” she glanced up from her fidgeting to find his eyes crinkled with gentle amusement. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? What for?”

“I didn’t mean to talk so much,” she shrugged.

“Oh. Well, I was enjoying it. I can’t say that I understood all of it, but still. You’re - I mean, it’s nice, hearing you talk so much,” he said tentatively, then pressed on. “So you’re, um - you go to the university, then?”

“No,” she laughed. “City college.”

“Hey, so do I! What’s your major?”

“Environmental science,” she said, dutifully kneeling down to take a stick that Moose had just delivered to her. Comet barked frantically, evidently outraged at this diversion of Moose’s attention. With a panting grin, he trudged back over to meet her. “Yours?”

“Criminal justice,” he droned, inflection hanging like a question.

“You sound unsure about that.”

“Well, I mean, I dunno. It seemed like an alright choice at the time, and I like it well enough, but - I dunno. I’m not sure if it’s for me. But then, I don’t know what I’d study instead, so I may as well stick to it, I suppose.”

“There’s nothing else you like better?” she asked with hesitation.

“Well, I like history,” he answered after a beat, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Quite a lot, actually, but I don’t know what I’d even  _ do  _ with a history major, you know?”

Lariel paused in consideration while he fiddled with the sleeves of his henley shirt, rolling them up to his elbows. It seemed rude to offer up unsolicited advice to someone she barely knew, but she wanted to encourage him the way he encouraged her to talk more. She could muster up some courage for that. He was really nice, too nice to be stuck doing something he clearly wasn’t interested in.

“Sure,” she said carefully, “but, I think - I think you should study something that makes you happy. I’m sure there’s plenty of things you can do with a history major. You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do, anyway.  _ I  _ don’t yet.”

“Hmm,” he mused, tilting his head to the side.

“Sorry,” she stammered quickly. Had she crossed a line? She probably had. “I mean - I’m not telling you what to do, I just think - I don’t know. I think you should think about it, at least.”

“Yeah, I - you know, you’re right. Maybe I will.” He smiled at her, a softer smile than that usual rueful smirk he wore. She faltered for an instant, her heart thumping, but she shoved past it. So what, he had a good smile. He was nice, he probably smiled at loads of people. Nothing to get excited about.

“Oh, good. I just think that it’s really important to go after whatever makes you happy, you know?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

 

*~*~*

 

“Lariel, I think your dog is laying on the remote,” Leliana said politely.

Lariel looked up from her laptop screen. Leliana and Zevran sat on opposite ends of the couch, Leliana engrossed in the dramatic crime show on TV, Zevran flicking through a book of poetry. Moose, meanwhile, had wedged his way between both of them, his head shoved onto Zevran’s lap.

“Oh, sorry!” Lariel scrambled up from her cross-legged position on the floor, setting her laptop down on the coffee table as she stepped over to the couch. “Come on, Moose, come on. Let’s go lay down on your bed.”

He grunted unhappily as Lariel nudged him off the couch, flopping lazily onto the floor.

“Why are you reading a guide on how to prevent barking?” asked Leliana. “Moose doesn’t bark.”

“Oh,” Lariel said, swiftly scooping up her laptop and sitting back down a few feet away. “Yeah, no it’s - not for me.”

“Not for you?” Leliana giggled. “What does  _ that  _ mean?”

“Nothing,” Lariel muttered. Her cheeks and ears burned as she grouchily closed out of the tab titled  _ Dealing with Excessive Dog Barking.  _ “It’s just - this guy at the dog park, his dog gets along well with Moose, but she barks a lot and he said it’s been driving him nuts so - I don’t know. I was just looking for ideas to help him.”

“That’s nice of you,” Leliana remarked, though a thoughtful smirk played over her lips.  Lariel watched her roommate cautiously. She knew that smirk, and nothing good ever came of it.  Only one disastrous attempt after another to get Lariel to  _ socialize _ . “I’m sure this  _ guy  _ will appreciate it.”

Zevran’s eyes wandered up from behind his book, an eyebrow raised, and Lariel sighed in anticipation. She knew where this was going with both of them here to feed off of each other in another round of  _ let’s help Lariel in the most embarrassing way possible _ .  They didn’t mean any harm by it, but she didn’t find these sorts of conversations nearly as amusing as they did.

“What does he look like, this  _ guy  _ of yours?” Zevran crooned.

“It’s really, really nothing like that,” she continued. “Like I said, our dogs get along with each other, and he’s nice, so we talk. That’s all it is.”

“Why do you assume I’m talking about you? Perhaps I’m asking for my own interest,” Zevran said, reclining and kicking his feet up onto the gap on the couch where Moose had been shortly before.

Her eyes narrowed. She sincerely couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. She suspected he was  _ half  _ joking, but either way, the only response she could muster was to shake her head, direct her gaze back to her computer, and pretend to be engrossed in something on the screen.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to tease you,” trilled Leliana sweetly. “It was a little surprising, that’s all.”

Maybe that was true, but Lariel’s face simmered with embarrassment nonetheless. Of course they had had to make it about  _ that _ , couldn’t just let her have her excitement over making a friend. Even if she  _ wanted  _ there to be more to it than that - it didn’t matter. It never did. And she barely knew him, anyway.

“Um, I’m going to bed,” Lariel announced in a stilted tone, closing her laptop and standing to make for her room.

“Oh, come on, we really didn’t mean to -”

“No no, I know, it’s alright. I’m just - I’m tired, that’s all. Really.” It wasn’t even yet nine, so they would surely see through that excuse, but she was itching to be out of the spotlight. “Night.”

She began her nightly routine of brushing her teeth and washing her face, Moose following behind at a sleepy trudge. Once in her bedroom she changed into an oversized night shirt she had bought at work. It was clearly meant for a human woman, not an elf, and a large one at that. Her small frame all but disappeared in the sea of pink fabric, but she liked how soft it was and the cute little cartoon teddy bears all over it.

She slipped into bed right away, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep yet, so she brought her phone with her to scroll through until her mind was numb enough to turn off. Moose crawled onto the bed, nuzzling himself right up against her, resting his head on the pillow with her.

“Oh, pardon me Moose, am I in your way?”

He licked her square on the cheek, and rolled over right away as she laughed. Gently she nudged him  with her shoulder, giving her room to scoot over further from the edge of the bed. Once she had settled in and was mostly still, he nestled his head onto her chest. It made it a little more difficult to hold her phone up properly, but it was worth it. She wrapped her free arm around him, lightly scratching at his fur.

He really was such a good boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was such a long delay between this chapter and the last, I had some life stuff going on and was only able to work on this in small pieces.
> 
> Thank you so much to zinjadu, redpandadragon, and crisis_project for their help beta-ing this chapter!


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